﻿Since the sixth century, the feast of John the Apostle has been celebrated on this date.

John is believed to have been a young man working as a fisherman with Peter and James, when he was called to be a disciple.

The Acts of the Apostles says that John was with Peter when the lame man was healed at the Temple, that John and Peter were imprisoned together, and the two also visited new converts in Samaria. Along with Peter and James, John was recognized as a “pillar” of the Church in Jerusalem by Paul.﻿

﻿Tradition says that John in his later years lived in Ephesus, Turkey. Unlike the other apostles, he was not martyred but outlived his fellow apostles and died at a great age. His exact burial spot isn’t known, but some believe he was buried on the southern slope of Ayosolug Hill, about two miles from Ephesus. One legend says that once a year dust is stirred up from his grave and that it can cure the sick.

Take your time with the brief Scripture text below. These words are the graced word of God.

Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. – John 20:1a, 2-8

Now what’s happening? We just celebrated the birth of Jesus, and today’s Gospel is about his resurrection!

This passage was chosen because today is the feast of John the Evangelist, Apostle. “The disciple Jesus loved” (who appears only in John’s Gospel) was thought to be John himself.

It is said that John died a natural death at a ripe old age. On the other hand, Jesus was brutally killed at about the age of 30.

It may seem strange to say it this way but, in the great expanse of time and eternity, the length of each one’s life in this world hardly matters.

Jesus is “seated at the right hand of God” – an expression that describes his glory. John too enjoys the happiness of heaven.In this Christmas season, we celebrate that God became one of us and opened the door to the fullness of life.

It’s a good time to settle back and think about what it means to have a future that lasts forever.